The Dragon's Cosmic Breath
by Chustang
Summary: ****UPDATED**** Yes, you heard right, I am actually alive with this thing. Please R&R!
1. Star Burning

The Dragon's Cosmic Breath   
by Chustang   


> Chapter 1   
"Star Burning"   

> 
> The Sentinel III Gazette's unprecedented headline that day ruled the end of an adventure, blazed in bold letters across that unimportant paper in those unimportant hands, and marked the dawn of a new era. Many tears were shed over the event, and many dangerous smiles bloomed in vengeance. It was the end for a few, star searching outlaws and yet, a wonderful beginning.   
'_Outlaw Star, Famous Star Ship, Goes Down In Flames with Captain Gene Starwind'_   
  

> 
> Cold, gleaming black eyes flickered in the blue light that emanated into the dark void. Each flare of cosmic light crackled and echoed in the eternity of night surrounding it. Those dragon, dangerous eyes just watched, as a serpentine figure sat beside a blue flame fire, and sifted a few orbs in his claw. The five clear orbs of crystal were misted with their own distinct color, only larger than a marble.   
One sky blue, one dusted tan, one blue black, one aged green, and the last, red.   
Each clicked as they hit each other, glowing furiously. A grin curled back the snake-like dragon's face as he noticed this. _They still must be fighting death_, he thought devilishly, curling back his claw to contain them. _Foolish humans, too much spirit if you ask me. Think they can scrape their way out of anything if they fight. _The dragon snorted arrogantly, as any Keeper should take his glory, and let the glistening marbles fall slowly from his scythed claws into the fire. "Enjoy eternity, humans," he hissed.   
Suddenly, the dragon shrieked in pain, and he doubled up his sinewy body. A shoot of fiery pain was spiked into his palm, almost like a resentment to his words. Snarling, he quickly opened his palm and glared at the orbs. Despite its rarity, humans had tendencies to hear words outside their orbs and attack. His dark, harsh eyes narrowed on the red one, which pulsed angrily in his tight grip.   
"A fighter, are you? Well, you'll need all that strength because there's no way out from the inside, buddy," he snapped. The dragon's black, scaly lips curled to reveal scythe like fangs, and he snarled angrily. This one must be the captain, Gene. Of course, the outlaw who had died five feet from the precious Leyline he had striven after. A cruel thought came to mind, considering this. _Perhaps, _the dragon silkily thought, _Gene Starwind will play the game. Surely a reckless outlaw shall take the challenge. If not, I think the idea of losing his comrades would make him reconsider._   
An undeniable smirk crawled his gruesomely reptilian face. Snorting, a mist of black energy fell from his nostrils. The dragon set down the glittering marbles, and held the red one up to stare through. His teeth flashed menacingly, and the dragon faded his form to pure invisibility. With the red orb seemingly suspended in midair, he let the marble drop to the ground.   
"Play the game, Gene."   
Instantly, a shimmer of red light shot from the orb and crashed against the circular, black wall that blended into the void. It seemed to splash out futilely, scraping for an escape, but was pulled back together. The light began to swirl within itself, its glow intensifying into a pure white blaze.   
"Play the game."   
The dragon's cruel face smirked as the light began to darken, forming in a false, copy physical body. The captain's real body was no longer existent; and it shouldn't, after an explosion of such intensity. Slowly, he could make out the blood darkened face of the human, and the scars that sliced horizontally along his cheek bone. His thin, vivid red hairs were blackened from burned carbon, concealing his sealed eyes. As his body was solidified from its insubstantial form, he groaned tiredly. Rubbing his temples, he shut his eyes tighter and clutched at his side with his free arm. Gene's lips formed a few slurred, pained cuss words to drown out the spears of pain in his side.   
Perhaps he would play with this new life toy. It wasn't often when he had a human soul freed in the City. "Well, will you?" he said suddenly.   
Gene sat bolt up right, and his dark, cadet blue eyes focused on the voice. His eyes were those of a seasoned fighter, instantly accusing the empty air of its guiltiness. "Will what?" he asked, hand reaching for his caster. Each finger smoothed a few specks of dirt from the glistening, tarnished bronze colored surface. His pointer finger slid into its familiar place, around the trigger, and his fist tightened threateningly around the gun. "Show yourself. Now," he demanded, rising painfully from his sitting position.   
The dragon smirked. Blood coursed from his impaled side, leaking from a neat, round hole, caused by a large bullet.   
Pursing his lips silkily, the dragon purred back in his rumbling voice, "Why Gene, be reasonable. This is not the welcome I expected from a man I just granted life to." Still invisible, he could freely grin, as, despite his agony, the outlaw whipped the caster from its sheath and angrily leveled it. The dragon easily evaluated his opponent. Gene Starwind, if battling a Pirate or a human, was nearly invincible, his dark eyes conceived. Even in this state.   
But against a dragon?   
Gene, his dark eyes pained, began to toil this over and over in his mind. It echoed fiercely, and it blurred his mind. What did this voice mean? Some Pirate trick? At this, the outlaw finally gave the wound recognition, and the cruel truth struck. Gene lowered his gun, and, the limp fingers paying no heed, allowed the machine to dangerously hit ground.   
All the dark, blood smeared scenes whirred back upon him, like an angry beast. Again, he saw the span of stars around him in the Outlaw Star cockpit, and the chaos fuming in it. Pirates lunged at him, and he evaded quickly. Gene could remember knowing he was tiring, and it was just a matter of time; all ammunition was wasted now. He was inches from the Leyline, and it was the Kei Pirates who laughed at him this time.   
"Jim," he had said grimly, "I hate to say it but.... we lost this one."   
His blonde comrade had turned, his blue eyes fierce and pleading with tears. "Gene! You can't be serious! But that would mean..."   
"Yeah. I know. But if we crash into the main ship, we can take out all the other ships with us, and the Leyline will be safe, at least for a while." He had hung his head. Silence ensued this grave decision. He had allowed one, muffled sob to escape. This would be his last adventure. "Gilliam?"   
"Yes, Gene?"   
"I'm sorry."   
He had lingered, shutting out all blurred memories, then slammed on the acceleration.   
Gene Starwind was dead. _I'm dead...._   
The outlaw staggered to his knees, and his dark eyes confusedly searched the void. Gene couldn't possibly be dead, he was here now, he was bleeding and he felt very much alive. Yet, the cruel truth sank in as he realized, in horror, he had never taken a breath. The crimson blood from a Kei bullet spell leaked from his pierced side, and his black pants were a deep red. "Then its true, isn't it?" he whispered, his head hung.   
"Smart boy, aren't we?" the dragon hissed, snaking closer. "Now, Gene Starwind, I have an offer I think you'll accept." Dangerously smirking, his black, venomous tongue leaped at his prey as the dragon silently drew closer. The foolish human was still on his knees, caster glistening at his feet, and he was just too tempting to resist. A young blooded soul like this would indeed make him powerful, if he just consumed him now, before he bled to death.   
Gene was swimming in emotions. And drowning slowly, each memory harder than the last. He clutched the caster gun, and he continued to hang his head. _I died... five feet from the Leyline. I failed, and I brought everybody into a hellhole with me. Damn it!_ It was then the bubbling anger he had contained in his heart since his eleventh birthday began to crack its binding. Everything bitter and foul that had graced his life became just another anger rush of his, a burning vengeance to kill; to repay what he had lost. He could never control his rage, especially now. First his mom, then his dad, Hilda, then.... everyone. He'd let them all die.   
He had to just kill.   
Gene angrily snatched the gun up to level randomly at the blackness, and his dark blue eyes were racing with fire. Straining his arms, he violently rammed the trigger back, screaming in rage. He just wanted everything to leave. He never wanted any of this. He lost his best friend, and... her.   
"No!"   
The dragon felt a piercing, magic charring blaze in his shoulder, as the fired caster shell hit solid flesh. Instantly, the gruesome thing roared with all his fury, and the shield of invisibility faded away. Blood began to leak from his dislocated, maimed shoulder and the sting of gun magic pulsed into his veins. He could feel it pumping mild poison into his bloodstream; but not enough to do damage. The dark, serpentine thing was flung to the ground, falling on the fire and extinguishing it.   
Gene was on the dragon in a flash. The next sound was that of a gun locking, and the dragon's eyes blinked to be faced with a caster barrel.   
"Cut the crap." Gene narrowed his eyes, and they were nearly lost in his shadowed face. Almost complete blackness consumed them, without fire, and the only light was from the glowing caster and the dragon's slightly glowing eyes. The throbbing presence of his wound slowly began to lessen, as it began to clot.   
"I don't need no damn offer, especially now. If you don't want to taste my next shell, I suggest you just bring my friends back," he hissed, his words ragged from firing so soon without recovering from his death.   
The dragon, cloaked in the familiar shadows, narrowed his silver glistening eyes. Perhaps, this human was stronger than he had thought. A smirk twisted his face in the dark. All the better the game when he played.   
"Yes, of course, Starwind," he submissively complied, in a low, rumbling voice.   
Gene just flared his dark, cadet blue eyes in suspicion. Adjusting the gun in his grasp, the young outlaw just stared down at the dragon, locking gazes. "What did you say?" he asked coldly, in a very soft voice, never wavering from his icy composure.   
"I will bring back your friends, there is no doubt about that, my boy."   
"Liar." The word came cold and simple, like a freshly impacted bullet. Gene never moved, just concentrated his bronze colored gun on the concealed, dark body of the dragon. No one ever kept their promises to him. Nobody. _You said you'd be there, Dad. You promised too, _he bitterly thought.   
The dragon smirked at his suspicion. He had been greatly taught in psychology. Such anger could only be generated by emotional disorder. Any normal, unstressed person would put the pieces together; if he raised him to life, then he could for his comrades. "Not so tough on the inside, are you?" he purred dangerously.   
"Bullshit."   
"I can see past your lies. Your like a book I can read, outlaw," the dragon warned. "I know you miss them all; your comrades. Especially the ones called Jim and" - he couldn't help but flash his fangs in victory - "Melfina."   
Gene held silence, but his eyes widened, glistening from oncoming tears, and the dragon knew he had hit the weak spot. Chuckling to himself, the dragon thought, _Foolish human love. Pathetic._ The outlaw tightened his hand around the gun, and his eyes narrowed in anguish. The caster began to warm up threateningly, light spewing from its barrel as the antique magic began to stir again.   
"Can you bring her back?" he asked softly, still cold and wary.   
The game was beginning. Gene Starwind was submitting already. "Of course," he silkily rumbled, bowing to the red-headed human vehemently. "But- there is a price."   
"What price?" Gene growled back, leveling the gun again. Both hands, with the ragged blue gloves tearing from the intensity of his grip, clutched the trigger. He was burning wildly inside, and desperately wanted to blast this thing to kingdom come. But killing this creature would be condemning Mel, Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka.   
The dragon nodded, and extended a claw out toward the human. The scythed talons were fierce and dangerous in the slight light, and Gene protectively tightened the trigger. But instead of the lethal weapon attacking, there was a small, bluish hologram screen created in the dragon's claw. "You are now in the greatest city ever built, one more precious than El Dorado and more dangerous than a Ktarl-Ktarl slum," he explained. Glittering and flashing, the screen depicted a stunning silver and dragonite city, with massive dragon sculptures, bordered by a black forest of dangerous animals. Scene after scene were scattered with dragons, griffins, and ferocious animals from lore, originating from all across the universe.   
"It's called Shinar, or the City of the Leyline. A place where all power of the universe is grappled between the animals of magic and dragons. The task you must perform, if you dare to accept, is to travel through the city. Now, my bounty hunter, the first part of this trek will require you to find and dispose of three dangerous dragons: Laporea - the Lunar Dragon; Niamh - Dragon of War; and Evoli - Mirror Dragon. Then, you must travel to the center of the city, where I will be waiting.   
"Then, you shall have your precious comrades."   
Gene had lowered his caster gun, sliding it into his leather carrier. With his narrowed, dark cadet blue eyes, he considered this. He folded his arms, twisting his lips over gritted teeth. The dragon, face framed by the spiked horns, stared harshly back, awaiting his answer. Gene gave only a soft, cynical reply, after a good two minute consideration. "Why?"   
The dragon snorted incredulously, a mist of black smoke falling from his nostrils. "Why? Because these dragons are criminals, deadly things with no good judgment. And, knowing outlaws, they only accept if there is a profit at the finish line. Does that answer your question?"   
"Yeah," he grumbled, focusing on the dragon's dangerously sharp face. "But do you really expect me to do such a immense job by myself?" he spat back.   
The dragon lashed his long tail over the fire's ashes, and the plume of smoke that was milled up drifted up into the darkness. Irritated, he realized the human was haggling. Smart. A seasoned bounty hunter would know that a dangerous job was almost always fatal without a partner. He gritted his fangs sharply, so their sound echoed ominously. "Fine," he hissed, displeased with this new development. The game was so much better when the stakes were high. Clawing at the ashes, the dragon recovered the four orbs, each shining desperately. "One at that, though. Take your pick," the dragon offered.   
Gene knew he couldn't take Melfina. This game he had stumbled recklessly into demanded endurance and wits, not to mention skill with weapons. If she was killed, he wasn't just on his own, he would be alone; completely.   
He drew a ragged, burning breath, by instinct, and it flowed surprisingly easily into his throat. It stung, red hot, against his lungs; but it was worth it. "Jim," he sighed back, rubbing his temples from the burden of his thoughts. Brushing away his flame red hair, Gene felt a weak pulse of blood in his temples, painful and alien. "Jim and I are partners no matter what."   
The dragon allowed the dark, forest green orb to hit the ground, and a flare of green light shot from the small crystal marble. It struck the side of the circular, black room that blended into the void, and slowly began to form into the short figure of a young boy. Gene turned to look, and the flare of white light faded slowly to reveal his blonde partner.   
"Jim!" Gene said, running over. "Hey Jim, wake up!"   
Leaning heavily against the wall, the eleven year old boy grumbled a slurred response. With a swirling headache, Jim cracked open his blue eyes. Smeared, his vision only was a black and red blur. "Gene?" he groaned. "Let me sleep..." He shut his eyes and ignored the displeased grunt of his partner.   
Rolling his dark blue eyes, Gene just sighed, kneeling on one knee next to Jim. "It's really important that I talk to you Jim, because, you see..." he began, nudging his shoulder relentlessly. But the lanky kid just groaned sleepily in protest, straining his closed eyes.   
Smirking, the dragon hissed, "Shall we play?" The creature unnervingly cold and menacing, Gene met the inquiry with restless, angry blue eyes. His lips confusedly formed a few, demanding words. It fell silent though, as the dragon flared the light from his dark eyes. Instantly, Gene felt the darkness beneath him shudder with power.   
Jim snapped awake at the tremors, which began to attack with furious speed and power. Beneath them, the blackness began to sift away, and the dragon was suddenly nowhere in sight. Suddenly, everything blacked out.


	2. Aniki

The Dragon's Cosmic Breath   
by Chustang   


> Chapter 2   
"Aniki"   

> 
> Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking have spread their reputation as the the stars' dynamic duo across many planets. Jim's intelligence and common sense is probably the only thing that counters his partner's brash recklessness, and each has their part. Brandishing caster and fist, Gene pulls the weight while Jim is the backup, the thinker and machine whiz that keeps his older aniki in line. Despite their many close calls, the team never seems to lose.   
_Never?_   

> 
> "What the hell is that thing?!"   
Gene leveled his caster gun, but suddenly it was wrenched out of his hand, knocking him back from his kneeling position. Through the blackness of the dark forest, he could see the thing flaring its red eyes. The gun was blasted from his grip by a blast of ice from the creature's jaws, as it smashed slowly through the trees. Angrily grunting, he dived after it as it clattered backward from the blast.   
Jim just gave his partner a dirty look, crouching, hidden, behind a gnarled bush. Gene, with the precious gun slid into its sheath, dived into the hiding spot behind Jim. His longish, blackened hair was ruffled and bore a slight frost, a grave reminder of how slimly the blast of ice had missed his throat. "I don't know Gene!" he snapped back, narrowing his blue eyes in anger. "You can't depend on me for everything, you know, and you're supposed to be _my _aniki!"   
Recovering himself, Gene slid out his blaster and locked it. He stared down at his eleven year old partner. "I'll be nobody's aniki if you don't start cooperating!" he replied in the same, heated manner. "Try to distract that thing, if you can. That way, I can get a few leads into it."   
Jim sat, shocked, in stuttering. "You have only leads left???" he screamed, fearing for his life. "Are you crazy, Gene? Lead bullets will never do anything to an animal like that!"   
"I know, I know," he groaned, shutting his eyes tightly to shut out the truth. It would take at least ten good shots in a weak spots if he wanted to live. Gene quickly shed his shredded, dark gold jacket and tensed his scarred arms for battle. "Just try to distract it, okay?" he asked, focusing on Jim's shadowed face.   
The blonde kid gritted his teeth silently behind pursed lips, but nodded obediently. Jim hated this, the way his reckless aniki never thought. He folded his arms, and bit his lip. "Like how, hotshot?" he asked cynically, to lighten the thick aura of death that hung suspended around them. The echoing reminder of the monster's progress drew closer, as trees snapped and it growled menacingly.   
Gene lifted his gaze up from the gun, which shined only dully. His dark blue eyes fumed with resenting thoughts, and his lips curled to grimace. "That dragon picked a wonderful place to drop us off," he muttered to himself. Again, his eyes' darkness overcame the light, and his eyes just narrowed in anger, angst, and a swirling emotion that stung and soothed at the same time. _I must be going damn crazy._   
"Gene?"   
He locked gazes with Jim, and the kid extended his hand out. With flesh scarring his black gloves, he gestured for the concealed caster. "Give me the caster. I think it'll go after the larger gun by instinct, and you can sneak around to land a few good shots, okay?" he explained, still awaiting the gun.   
Dumbstruck, his aniki blinked, and blinked again, as if his words had been alien and was trying to translate them. Gene just about had a heart attack, incredulously asking, "The caster? Jim, have you gone insane?! What are you planning to do with that, if it chases after you? All I have left are those dangerous shells that'll kill you."   
"Chill out, Gene. It won't have time to catch me." Jim was voice was somewhat light and careless, but the grave gleam in his eyes betrayed his attempt. "Besides, if I do have to fire them, you're still Gene Starwind, right? You can make it without me, anyway..." The eleven year old began to lose faith in his own words, and let them fall silent, casting his eyes downward.   
"Now don't say that Jim!" Gene insisted, trying to perk his friend up. He tipped the young boy's chin up with his thumb, and met his tearing eyes with a grin. "Remember - we're a team. And don't you forget it."   
Jim perked up a smile, and agreed softly, "Yeah."   
"That's better. Now, for that -"   
Suddenly, a furiously high-ptiched shriek pierced their ears. Two flaring, venomous red eyes flashed at them through the thick trees, as the animal crashed loudly through. It shouldered a massive oak tree, which was instantly knocked to the ground. It had the vague outline of a wolf, but the shoulders were far too large. A set of eight long horns, four on each side, were animatedly clawing the air, like spider legs. Green, violet, and black flecked fur bristling like daggers, it lunged at their hiding spot.   
"Jim! Run!" Gene yelled, tossing the iced caster to him as he rolled out of the monster's way. He landed in the grasp of a thorn bush, and could feel the pricks they inflicted up and down his back. Screaming, the creature glared down at him with dangerous red eyes, and the claws around its neck stiffened to point at him. Each began to generate needles of ice, as the wolf flashed it lethal white fangs.   
Recovering his grip around the blaster, Gene painfully backed up into the thorn bush and was able to sit up in a firing position. Blood was coursing down his back, and it stung bitterly. He aimed at the animal, narrowed his eyes, and snapped the trigger.   
Meanwhile, Jim had slid back into the thick underbrush, still clutching the caster. Iced and glistening, the dangerous weapon was far to big for his hands, yet he reluctantly slid his fingers into a tight grip around the trigger. Wincing, he realized that he might have to fire. Tannish blonde hair framing his misty, afraid blue eyes, Jim locked the gun like he'd seen Gene do it. Slowly, the caster hummed ominously in his hands, its antique magic stirring to life again.   
He lifted his eyes just to see the wolf lunging at his aniki, who was painfully thrust against a thorn bush. Suddenly, the sky cracked with the blaster's fury. Gene sent a lead bullet at the creature, which was a direct hit to the throat.   
"Yes!" Jim whispered to himself. There was a thick moment that, like descending fate, hung in silent suspense. They each waited for the thing to fall, but the wolf just snarled and powered up its spider leg horns, glowing with ice. Not a drop of blood ever was shed, as the wolf easily recovered from the futile blast.   
"Dammit!" Gene hissed, locking the gun to shoot again.   
_I guess I have to, now..._   
Jim leveled the gun as well as possible for his untrained hands, tightened his grip, shut his eyes tightly, and fired. Like thunder, the echo rumbled ominously through the forest, and Jim fell.   

> 
> Misty, painful stalked dreams paced through Jim's head, burning an ache with each step. Unconscious, he was drowning in pain. As the blurring blackness slowly began to beckon to clear thoughts, he could fully sense the jagged edge of pain stuck in him. But outside that wall of numbing pain, there was a reality, and there was a warm glow of a fire against his face. Stirring, Jim began to ease his burning muscles into moving.   
The gentle crackle and sparking of flames was near his ears, and the silent blackness of starry space met his blue eyes as they hazily opened. Jim was curled up in a dark, dirty gold jacket, presumably Gene's, and was laying beside a healthy fire. As his vision cleared, he could see his aniki across the flames. Gene was drowsily staring into the fire, dark blue eyes ringed by sleepless bags.   
With a groan, Jim struggled up, and instantly clutched his arm. Wincing, he gritted his teeth in disgust as he discovered a long gash down his shoulder, which had been recently cleaned and patched. There was also a slight burning across his cheekbone, and his fingers brushed against them lightly. It burned, and he quickly withdrew his hand.   
"How's that burn?" Gene suddenly asked, lifting his dark ringed eyes to Jim. He was holding a charred stick over the flames, with a speared piece of meat.   
"Burn?" Jim asked?   
"Yeah," his aniki grumbled exhaustedly, blinking heavily. "That shell in there was a 22 - a fire spell. You must be tougher than I thought, 'cuz you actually survived. And you've only been unconscious for about nine hours."   
The young boy blinked, and he could clearly see. At the flames edge, the caster was slowly deicing, the water streaking down its golden bronze surface. Jim began to shiver, at the deadly thing that sat only inches from him. He tiredly hung his head, staring at the fire. "So, Gene, what about that animal. Did I finish it off?" Blonde hair falling before his blue eyes, Jim curled the jacket around his shoulders, ignoring the pain.   
Cadet blue eyes regaining their reckless energy, Gene grinned weakly and said, "Yeah. You finished it off, and started dinner as well." He lifted the stick above the flames to show him, and the blackened meat hissed enticingly. He brought to his his mouth, breathed on it to cool it down, and took a solid bite. After tentatively tasting the odd meat, which smelled distinctively of burning tires, Gene murmured contentedly to himself. "Pretty good," he said, "but it tastes sort of like burnt chipmunk."   
"Chipmunk?"   
Gene sheepishly grinned. "Its a long story; don't ask." He sighed, brushing the darkened flame red hair from his eyes, and drunkenly staggered up. Incredibly tired, he leaned against a nearby tree, letting the charred stick fall to the grass, where it crumbled. "There's plenty of meat left if you get hungry," he grumbled, focusing his dark ringed eyes on Jim. They smiled with their usual energy, and he seemed to become the aniki Jim knew for a few seconds.   
The kid returned the reassurance with a tilt of his lips, but soon his eyes drowsed from the heat of the fire. Jim yawned, burrowing deeper into the jacket, and blinked heavily. Then, remembering the few seconds before the tremors, he lifted his gaze back up to Gene.   
Against the midnight blue, star freckled sky, his flame red hair slightly twisted in the wind as he tilted his eyes to the sky. Gene leaned against a nearby tree, sighing painfully to himself. He began to search the skies, hoping to find a sign of hope to keep him going. The familiar scan of space never seemed so welcoming, a freedom he had forgotten was not immortal. He had to work for it, bleed for it, lose for it, but it would take more than that. He had been so damn lucky, so damn lucky to find an opportunity, a ship, and.... the things that came with. Especially Mel.   
Of course, Jim would never leave; they were becoming brothers in a way. He smiled at the thought, sagging against the tree. That blonde little runt had looked like a stray puppy in that alley, the day they met , but of course, puppies didn't hack into illegal, extremely top-secret files and get caught. _It's already been three years, _he thought.   
With his back to his partner, Gene began to ease his anguished but bright blue eyes close and fall into dreaming. _I know I shouldn't, _he sleepily thought to himself, _but a couple of hours asleep would do me good. My back'll hurt like hell in the morning, but it'll wake me up at least._   
The blonde eleven year old breathed a ragged sigh, and adjusted the coat around him to sleep. He might as well recover fully, because Gene would be out cold for at least eight hours. He must have been up the whole night worrying and taking care of him. _Watch out aniki, _he smiled and thought to himself, _looks like you're softening._   
"Hey Gene," Jim asked, looking up. "You said you had to talk about something. Something important."   
With a sleepy groan, he waved it off. "In the morning," he replied, sinking to the ground, and was instantly knocked out.   
"Grown ups..." Jim muttered, laying down to sleep as well.   

> 
> Starlight guided his eyes upward, and the misted blue, originally black sky whispered back, smiling with its glittering eyes. The siren voice that descended upon him, like a flowing confort all his own, just sang to him. Each word became slurred with beauty until their meaning and sounds became irrevelent and a sweet breeze.   
Gene blinked, the cradle of whispering grass swaying around him, for his dark cadet blue eyes to meet the dying midnight sky fading into blackness.   
"_Don't._" The voice was gentle, but straining with emotion.   
Sealing his eyes, he just smiled, ignoring the warning. "Don't what?"   
"_Break the dream. Break the dream."_   
He opened his eyes.   
The Outlaw Star's captain was confronted suddenly with the steely glare of a mirror. He suddenly lost all sense of direction or earth beneath him as the sky darkened completely, letting the stars die into obilivion. He was being levitated in an empty space, one that he could feel vibrating the very atom's in his body with a mysterious power.   
"_See no Evil; Die a fool._" The silvery voice echoed through his mind, vaguely familiar to his ears. Gene could remember... the voice.... brown eyes, a smile... His dark blue eyes locked on his reflection, an eerie, smoky ghost in the mirror. The man that was before him seemed to dark, too tortured and blood-driven to be him. It was just his eyes, cold and restless, ever darkening and narrowing, that offset the mirror image.   
His lips formed muted, laboring words, which died on the darkness. He suddenly reached up to the mirror, and the image blurred. It began to mutate, his red hair dissolving into a dark crimson set of scales.   
"What the hell?" he asked to himself.   
_"Open your eyes. Disspell all thy breaths dark. Life only brings death, young one sent skyward first. Break the dream."_   
His fingers rested against the cold silver, ice fringing his hands as they came in contact. The dark image slurred to a freeze, and the dark crimson dragon that glared back at him just grinned. Dagger fangs flashed, beneath the horrifying truth Gene suddenly realized. Wincing, he began to cuss to himself, as his flesh was sealed to the mirror. He wanted to wake up from this disturbing dream, but his soul seemed lashed down with chains.   
The dragon smirked, the steely blue eyes staring with blood thristing lust, and he saw them.   
The scars...


	3. Dragon Wind

The Dragon's Cosmic Breath   
by Chustang   


> Chapter 3   
"Dragon Wind"   

> 
> Dragons have long been connected with power, mystery, and magic. Their gothic and deadly auras and bodies have hypnotized and brought their share of lives to an end. Although rare, dragons are almost always fatal at encounter. Most have been tamed by the Leyline and confined in a city where few lives can be taken; they cannot kill their victims, because they are often dragons as well, nor are they defeated. They have a fierce system of government among themselves: a bloodthirsty tyranny and rebellions are the only noticeable structures in their culture. Most just live out their lives, and don't care about laws or justice.   
In that city, Shinar, if you're not brave, you'll just die from fear.   

> 
> Gene sat up, and blinked heavily, with the icy sunlight blazing through the foliage. He was propped up against a tree, and the instant his regained consciousness, he could feel the burning pain in his fingers and back. His dark blue eyes flickered lazily, thickened with their usual morning haze. Through the emerald green, stained light, he could see a glittering city skyline on the blackish blue sky.   
He turned to the fire, which now smoked in embers, and saw his younger, blonde counterpart sleeping soundly. Jim was still wrapped up in his dark gold jacket, with the far-to-large shoulder armor curled around his neck, making him seem smaller than ever. Only his tangled, dirt darkened hair was exposed. With a smile, Gene laughed softly to himself. "Looks like Genius James has burnt out..." he muttered, satisfied, to himself.   
He grudgingly staggered up and stomped his way, legs stiff, over to the caster. The gun was streaked with water, and the water glinted fiercely in the silver sun's light. Gene tediously massaged his cramped back, his slurring groans expressed the resent this whole thing was building. Maybe it really wasn't worth it to go on. He'd nearly killed Jim, and their bounty hunting job hadn't even begun. He and Jim could always survive on their own, living on their wits as before.   
But that would mean betraying everyone else. While they would be alive and free, Melfina, Sazuka, and Aisha would be condemned. He angrily bit his lip.   
Gene picked up the caster, sliding his scarred fingers over the steely surface. The motion disturbed the collected water and it dripped silently off. Each silvery drop glinted in a quick flash, and it reminded him of the bitter truth. You couldn't just let the pains of life just roll off. You could never erase anything, especially the truth. "Damn it anyway," he said to himself, placing the gun in its sheath. "Just damn it."   
"Damn what?"   
Gene looked up, just to see the revived Jim blinking, confused, at him. He had the coat still wrapped around him, and was currently shivering from the morning nip of cold. "This job," he nonchalantly answered, brushing his fingers through his hair as he tried to redirect the conversation. Hopefully, Jim wouldn't ask about "this job." Then, he wouldn't think of the prize that awaited him. He couldn't sacrifice himself and Jim for this insanely suicidal bounty hunt.   
_I'm so sorry Mel...._   
"A job? How could you get a job, Gene? We've only been here a night, and there's no one around here," Jim asked, letting the coat fall to a pile as he stood up. The young kid's eyes were burning with suspicion, and the blue began to darken in fear. "We're a team, remember? You have to tell me stuff. I can do anything if you don't tell me what the job is."   
Gene sighed. He clutched his temples tiredly, and tried to stop the oncoming siege of headaches. His lips futilely formed words, but came slurred and confused. How could he explain this to Jim. That they were dead as well?   
"Gene?"   
"Jim, do you remember what was happening in the Outlaw Star when we were at the Leyline?" he asked, lifting stony eyes. His lips tightened around his gritted teeth, and their was a stab of pain into his chest. Instinctively, he gripped the caster in anger. Why did things have to freaking mess up in his face?   
A bit mystified, the blonde kid blinked. He focused his eyes on his aniki, and the slight darting of his eyes confirmed his thoughts, slowly burning realization into his brain. He instantly dropped his jaw, eyes tiny in disbelief. Jim stuttered, his body starting to violently shake. "We're..."   
"Dead," Gene confirmed.   

> 
> Tension bred and thrived in their edgy silence, each thought stirring up more, causing the train of anguished thinking to rush harder and faster. With his ego dying, Gene trudged on, his hand resting in the caster's sheath while the other massaged his temple. _I didn't think he'd take it that bad... _he resentfully thought, tentatively flickering his eyes backward. They were headed for the silver and dragonite city on the horizon, traveling across a board expanse of towering oak trees, serpentine, living trees from Ctarl-Ctarl myth, and a few ones composed of smoke, which shivered in a light breeze.   
Jim, brooding, trailed his aniki, and, face angrily twisted, remained silent. His light-hearted blue eyes no longer held their energy, and were narrowed in thought. Under his breath he muttered insanely, ranting and ranting.   
The red-head bit his lip, frustrated. He quickly focused his gaze onto the path to Shiner, afraid to look back at Jim. _Maybe it was a little tough on him. I hope he's not going crazy, 'cuz he's my backup. It might be just a little dangerous to have a lunatic behind you... _Still concerned, Gene tried to shake it off. He glanced down, still walking on, at the gun he curled his hand around. The cool steel gun was a familiar echo of his life, the dream he pursued. Cold, reckless, and powerful.   
_If only I had a dream, now, _he hissed to himself.   
"When were you planning to tell me I was dead, Gene?" The sudden voice came as cold and swift as a blast of icy wind. Jim stared at him, as his aniki turned to curiously look down at him.   
"What?"   
Jim grimaced, displeased with Gene. "You know, I would like to know important things right away. It's part of being a team; having a partnership. And all of us dying is a pretty important thing!" he spat at the twenty year old.   
The heated glare was matched with an irritated frown, eyes narrowed and bitter with resentment. Gene stared back at his partner, dark eyes framed by his flame red hair and shadows. Hesitant to answer, he wondered if Jim's annoyance from his irresponsibility was finally becoming too much. "Listen Jim, I didn't tell you because... um.. well," he began, losing his confidence as he began to slip on the answer.   
"Because you're just lazy and cocky!" Jim answered, folding his arms defiantly.   
"Jim, just calm down!" Gene said, surprised at the blonde's temper. He began to slip on his composure, his anger slowly boiling. Why was Jim so ticked off all of a sudden? He was a hero, surviving a 22 shell like that. _Is it something I said? _he thought densely to himself. "You're starting to sound like a rabid Ctarl-Ctarl...." By instinct, his fingers began to slid over the caster's steely surface; like a sixth sense guiding him to draw his gun. Over Jim's voice, he could hear something rustling ominously above him, but dare didn't turn away from the lecture.   
Suddenly, Jim yelped, eyes wide with shock. His dark gloved hand was extended, pointing above his head. "Crap! Gene, its a -"   
Instantly, the flame haired aniki felt the speed he reserved for duels launch like a bullet, and whirred around. He scraped the caster out, preparing to blast whatever Jim had spotted to kingdom come. His eyes only met a tan and golden blur, mixed with pepper flecks of black. There was a shrill scream, like a infuriated cat descending. It fell from the tree, in a swinging motion. Gene locked the 21 in the barrel - a force bullet which would sent his target flying at least a mile - in a flash, and leveled the gun.   
"Hi!"   
In the icy, emerald tinted light that sifted through the trees, shadows dappled the blur of gold, black, and tan as it slowed, revealing two elated, amber eyes smiling down at them. The creature's golden blonde hair was arched in two leaps of hair, much like Aisha's, and had a bristling ponytail to contain the rest. Its cured, tan skin was dotted with black freckles, and its large, entrancing yellow eyes had black streaks beneath them. Its long ears, furry and black, were perked delightedly as it hung upside down from a tree limb, smiling at them. It was a female Ctarl-Ctarl, with the same white collar as Aisha and a golden bow was tied to the back of her neck. "Good morning! Meowww... who are you people?" she inquired, tilting her head slightly.   
Dumbstruck, the two humans stared in awe, silent. Gene lowered the gun, blinking. He nervously flickered a glance toward Jim, he met it, as surprised as he was, and they looked back. "I-I'm Gene and this my partner, Jim...." he nervously replied.   
In a flash, the Ctarl-Ctarl swung down from her perch, landing gracefully on her feet. She was wearing a tan shirt, like coarse fur, that had large, trailing sleeves. The shirt was only a belly length, exposing tanned and dotted skin. She had thick, black fingerless gloves, much like Jim's, but with more material. And her shorts were black, jaggedly cut just above her knees.   
She squealed shrilly, and grabbed Jim's hand, shaking it furiously. "Ooh! Humans! Mucho Gusto!"   
"Mucho Gusto?" Gene asked, as the Ctarl-Ctarl shifted to him, nearly wrenching his arm out.   
"It means 'delighted to meet you' in Spanish," Jim informed him, rubbing his hand.   
"My name's Ignatica, Savannah Ignatica," she said, smiling recklessly. She studied them each with bright, curious amber eyes. The cheetah like Ctarl-Ctarl stared at them, sniffing slightly. With a sultry African style to her, her eyes were filled the glittering energy of a kitten.   
Gene massaged his hand, as the Ctarl-Ctarl's hand had pinched the blood from it in her maniacal handshake. He lifted his confused and surprised steel blue eyes up, and answered, a bit reluctant to trust a creature like this, "Yeah.... Mucho gusto or whatever. I'd love to sit and chat but... uh, we got to go. Jim and I have a big job to do, and if you'd excuse us, it'd be nice to start it soon." He quickly snatched Jim's dark, Brooklyn style jacket, dragging the kid hastily behind him. "Nice meeting you! Bye now!" He began to run, leaving Savannah curiously staring at them, her amber eyes hurt.   
_That was close... I really don't like Ctarl-Ctarl... well, just strange ones. She's not like Aisha; a bit too friendly if you ask me. Besides, we have to get going, _he convinced himself. _Even though, she was pretty beautiful._   
"Gene!" his blonde partner hissed at him, resisting his pulling by clutching at his gold jacket as well. His blue eyes were sparking fire, angry at his reckless and sometimes dense aniki. "How could you be so cruel! She just wanted to talk to us, that's all." He wrenched the hand off his jacket, gave Gene a dirty look, then turned back to Savannah.   
He frowned in reply.   
The cheetah Ctarl-Ctarl had her tanned, freckled face twisted in hurt, her amber eyes tearing and angry at the same time. She bit her lip, exposing two small canine teeth, and folded her arms defiantly. "Fine!" she hissed, flashing dangerous glares at Gene. "Be a cheeky jerk! You'll get no help from me, that's for sure!"   
Jim sighed, scratching his head. His ruffled blonde hair breezed slightly, and he smiled a bit nervously up at her. "Ah, just ignore my aniki here. Gene tends to be a bit insensitive sometimes."   
Blinking her eyes with her golden hair fluttering slightly, she resisted tears. Her lips were pursed, considering. Much like a kitten, it took a few moments for her to lay trust in Jim, gazing thankfully at him. Savannah suddenly reached up, her blackened fingers reminding Gene of a cheetah paw, and delightedly ruffled Jim's hair in a show of gratitude. "Meow!" she purred happily. "I like you, Jim."   
Gene gave a grunt of disapproval.   
A smirk twisting his face, the blonde eleven year old flinched slightly under the friendly gesture, but didn't take it the wrong way. He looked up at her, and seeing Aisha in this new Ctarl-Ctarl, began to trust her as well. "You're a pretty good friend yourself, Savannah."   
She smiled back, flashing her canine teeth in a elated grin. Her face dropped slightly, coming across another thought. Her curious amber eyes focused on the clearly displeased Gene a few feet away, and she asked, "But I don't think your friend likes me much. He seems scary almost." She was fearfully gazing on his hand, which brushed the caster in its sheath.   
Jim laughed. "Gene? Don't worry about him too much; he may look tough, but he's a true softy on the inside," he remarked, glancing back at his aniki.   
Insulted, he countered with a glare, saying to Jim, "You'd better watch your mouth, James. It's not proper to insult one's aniki." He snorted, watching his younger partner's smirk grow larger, knowing Jim had truly hit with the perfect insult.   
"Whatever, Gene." Jim smiled.   
Brushing her hair away slightly, the cheetah Ctarl-Ctarl purred, her bell collar jingling slightly. "Well then, I guess I'll tag with you, Jim, Gene," Savannah said confidently, ruffling Jim's hair again, as she walked over to Gene. Smiling, she also ruffled Gene's hair, sliding her black fingers through his flame red hair. She easily matched Gene's height, striding over the grass in her black feet. Ignoring the sharp and disapproving "Hey!" of Gene, the freckled creature began in the general direction they had been taking.   
"Okay, just don't do that again..." the red head grumbled resentfully, smoothing his hair down. Instinctively, his fingers brushed against the caster, as a reaction. He still couldn't accept the new member; she seemed too happy. "But remember, get in the way, and it'll cost you. Me and Jim are on a bounty hunt. A very dangerous one at that."   
Savannah tilted her head at them, as Jim walked up beside his aniki, her golden hair framing her eyes in a golden blaze that glinted the icy sunlight. With a sheepish tint to her voice, she looked back at them. "Where were you two heading for, anyway?" the Ctarl-Ctarl purred, scratching behind her long, black ears, which twitched with the motion.   
"Actually, we're heading for Shinar. That's where I hope we'll find our three dragons," Gene said, glancing attentively around. "But it always seems to keep away from us; no matter how long we walk, it's always on the horizon."   
Shaking her head, the bell jingled furiously as she laughed. Savannah promptly turned around, eyeing a nearby oak tree. She curled her black fingers around the lowest branch and braced herself to pull up, and turned to look at them, with her black feet digging into the trunk with small claws. "Silly humans! Don't you know where you are?" she asked, like they had been tourists that didn't know they were in New York City. Swiftly, her paw like feet smashed their footing deeper into the tree, fragments of bark drifting to the ground. The Ctarl-Ctarl strained her arms for a second, lifting her thin frame into the air, and climbed easily onto the limb. Like a blur, she began to climb up the slanting oak tree, only pausing to smile back at them. "Follow me!" With a soft yowl of excitement, Savannah disappeared into the brilliant emerald canopy.   
Confused, Jim trotted after, leaning against the tree trunk as he looked up in to the blaze of light moving the branches had caused. Light cascaded around the tree base as Savannah climbed up, and he had to squint to see her golden form blurring up the tree. "Follow you where?!" he called after.   
Savannah paused, her outline highlighted dark against the cascade of brilliant light. She looked down at Jim, gave a quick "To Shinar, of course!", and disappeared once again to the top of the trees.   
Both bounty hunters gave a confused glance to each other, shrugged, and Jim began his ascent up the tree. The eleven year old grabbed on to the branch, and tried to climb up, but he wasn't quite strong enough to go against the force of gravity. Jim's boots scraped wildly against the tree trunk, bark flying, dislodged, in their wake. He grunted in effort, and was about to lose his grip around the branch, when he felt Gene shoving him up onto the limb from beneath. "Thanks, Aniki," he said, looking down.   
Gene suddenly, as he got Jim positioned on his shoulders, realized how big Jim really was. The weight seemed immense, compared to what he remember to be usual of his kid comrade. Hadn't he been just fifty pounds three years ago? Surprised, Gene replied as he strained to get the kid onto the tree, "Jeeze Jim! How much have you grown? You feel like eighty pounds!"   
"I _am_ eighty pounds!"   
"Hey squirt, you better stop growing, else pretty soon you'll be old like me," Gene said with a tint of humor, finally shoving Jim safely onto the branch. There was a flurry of dislodged leaves as the blonde got his balance, then he began to climb after Savannah. Jim gave his aniki a quick smirk, and replied a "Sure, Gene," before hurrying up the tree.   
The last to begin his ascent, the redhead pulled himself up, but had to lean against the tree, because he wasn't small enough to walk along the limb, nor could climb vertically up the tree. Gene secured the preciously rare caster into its sheath, glanced up once, then climbed after.
> 
> Darkness milled dark thoughts, ones thick with elusive vengeance and freedom. In the cold grasp of the starry chamber, the dragon wind, a dragon's natural form, inside it became agitated. Laporea, as the sleek silver dragon materialized, settled her lobes along her thin body. They were transparent, silky drifts of light that was her signature feature. She was in a star freckled chamber, in a place of safety. It was her home; she hardly wandered from its protection. Here, shutting her gray, blue flecked eyes, she could form a psychic link with the outside, see all in Shinar, and hear the thoughts if concentrated.   
Laporea would never need to make herself vulnerable, in order to perform her chaos on the city. Well, she was the fate guardian of the city. It wasn't their problem if she was just a bit on the mischievous side.   
Suddenly, a sharp prick shot through her mind, flying a red alert down her psychic link. Blinking in surprise, she investigated the newly downloaded bit of information. Laporea opened the bit, to be flooded with rebellious thoughts, ones of a brash teenager.   
_Dammit! This dragon's really getting on my nerves... Shut up! Don't you dare mock me!_   
The dragon smiled, her dainty gray eyes focused, engrossed in this interesting mental dialogue. She soon could see the memories, dark and confused. There was a monsterous, hideous dragon smirking up at the person, as she looked through his perspective. Laporea could easily tap into his mind, like flinging open a book. He was twenty years old; a human native to Earth, name: Gene Starwind. He had a young companion which he found in a Sentinel III alley, name: Jim Hawking.   
_A job? No way. This guy smells fishy, like a rotten trout._   
Laporea dug farther, and could feel a caster in the man's hands, clutched despite immense levels of pain. It was leveled at the same dragon. His dark, gleaming eyes seemed vaguely familiar, but it could be anybody. There were hundreds of dragons in Shinar; it might not be him. But, as she focused in on a clear memory of the dragon, she saw... it was him.   
_That slimy little worm!_ Laporea began to cuss silently to herself. _Damn it! He's sending a bounty hunter after me! Well, I'll won't be going down that easily. I'm not the fate guardian for nothing..._   
She narrowed her ghostly beautiful eyes, sliver light surrounding her intenisfying. The dragon passed into a dragon wind with a silent growl. Turning agilely, the whirl of wind swarmed in the chamber, harder and harder until it became a pure whir. _He'll never get me._


	4. Starlight Fire

The Dragon's Cosmic Breath - Chapter 4 The Dragon's Cosmic Breath   
by Chustang   


> Chapter 4   
"Starlight Fire"   


Casters, both Old Magic and New, have become a symbol of rare power across the stars. These magic powered guns originated from Earth, and had spread like wildfire. The guns were more popular than televisions had been at release, because of their potency. Despite the success, they were banned from being made on Earth, and the producer of the guns soon was imprisoned, stopping production. As the guns became rarer, the bullets for them were like ghosts. During the peak of Casters, their wielders had foolishly wasted them in street fights, and they slowly began to fade back into the darkness. By 2024, only ten years after Casters had appeared, finding one had less chance than someone being killed by a mad rabbit.   
Gene Starwind's Caster, an Old Magic gun with the model name Starlight Fire, has been most loyal. The gun has, on many occasions, been the unsung savior and hero of duels. Found in the sheath of his first bounty success, that gun had more power than anyone could imagine, being one of a kind.   


The air broke with the electric roar of the looming dragon, the dark, cruelly twisted creature glaring mercilessly down with stunning lavender eyes. The sun glinted like gold dust off its armor of shining quality and its jagged body was contrasted by the endless blue stretch of the sky overlooking the Everlasting Forest. A broken grin flashed against its fangs, and the dragon whipped its wings twice before screeching into a dive.   
Instantly, the younger outlaw felt his aniki shove him out of the way, rolling quickly across the plain of tree tops. "Jim, watch it!" he snapped angrily, snatching his blaster from its holder in his pocket and recovering himself as the dragon swept by in a futile dive. Its dark wings brushed over him dangerously, its jagged spikes gleaming sharply, and knocked the unexpecting Jim to the ground. He could hear the blonde's shrill yelp of pain, and Jim Hawking collapsed, with hands clutching at his shoulder. Dark crimson blood began to shine against his skin.   
"Jim?!" Gene asked frantically, ignoring the looming danger. Like fluid motion, the glistening gold dragon flared its wings against the cold wind and reared its fearsome body to face its prey again. It flapped leathery wings to hold it airborne for a moment and watched the strange creature with red hair race to its injured comrade. _Fool..._   
The outlaw placed the gun down, and quickly saw Jim was unconscious once again, giving a snort of displeasure. He carefully lifted him and looked at the wound. It was speared straight through by a thick claw, most likely from the dragon's wing that had dislodged. "Dammit Jim," he cursed, gently pulling out the scythed talon. "Why do you always get hurt? Poor kid..."   
"Don't call me a kid..." Jim suddenly fluttered his eyes open, giving a weak smile. The small boy seemed like a toy as Gene gave a smile back, then glanced around for something to stop the accessive bleeding before Jim fainted. _Man, why does he have to be anemic anyway..._ Gene groaned to himself, laying Jim across his lap and swiftly ripping off a piece of his dark gold cloak.   
As he wrapped it around Jim's maimed shoulder, the blood seeping through instantly, he saw his younger partner flinch and give a squeal of pain. Jim, frustrated, shut his marble blue eyes in pain and tried desperately to shove the helping hands of Aniki away. But Gene's grasp held firm, and the pressure on the wound mounted quickly in the kid's tiny body. "Aniki! Stop... please! It's fine its fine!" he pleaded, cracking open a tearing blue eye at his mentor.   
Gene smiled, but with a distant tone to it, and it was clear he had pretty much blocked out any pleads from Jim. The outlaw tightly tied the scrap of material, and the blonde bolted up in pain and angrily forced him away. Instantly, Jim doubled up in pain and lifted hazy blue eyes to the wound. He pursed his lips weakly, then turned pained and almost ungrateful eyes toward him, giving a snort.   
"If you really don't want me to help Jim, I can just leave you," he said a bit angrily, lifting the blaster to the ready again. The same, haughty fire of his abandoned bad ass attitude flickered dangerously, becoming a bit fed up with Jim's constant, almost parental orders.   
Jim flashed back a resentful and dark look. "I didn't mean it like that."   
Gene just looked away in anger. He suddenly blinked, realizing what he had been darkly brooding. Gene snorted, slightly tossing his jagged cut red hair and stood up to face the looming dragon.   
It simply wasn't there.   
"Gene! Behind you, idiot!" Jim screamed, desperately scrambling away while still clutching his shoulder.   
Blackness ensued cruelly, as the thickly armored blur seemed to defy all reason in a flood of speed. With its wide, leathery wings arched in anticipation, another electric roar first sliced at the outlaws' ears and Gene collapsed to his knees. His torn gloves were hopeless to block out the screech. It gave a cold smirk, fangs flashing, then pivoted and brought its tail down to slam its human play toy's back. The tail came like a tiger's fury, and Gene's bruised body skidded painfully across the tree plain. He was nearly knocked out and the gun slipped from his limp grasp. Even the caster, jolted by the force, rolled from the sheath and disappeared into the canopy.   
"No!" Jim yelled by impulse, and instantly, he resented it.   
The dragon snapped its head toward him like an accusing finger in his direction. The creature, dark gold in tint, was like some mutated tyrannosaur, with a lean, scaly body that was leveled for balance. Its wings were large and rigid with strength. But there was bristling spikes frothing around its jowl, which sharpened at a sound. It's lavender eyes were sharp and jagged with glowing light, matching the equally razor teeth. The dragon obvious forgot about the defeated human and turned to annihilate the second.   
He weakly scampered backwards, spears of pain expressing the danger of using his arm to get away. Jim was gasping for breath, and his heart was beating out stress. It was like he'd swallowed a pufferfish; pain and fear racked up in his throat like a burning vice. Jim had never really realized just how much pain Gene had to endure, being the bounty hunter and outlaw he was. He'd watched from the sidelines, helping him along, and only experienced the sharp blade of knife and the angry graze of bullet once. In a way, he seemed like broken doll running from a unknowingly cruel master, when it had never left the safety of the house to venture into the world.   
Jim's blue eyes were thick and tearing with fear, as he suddenly pushed his shoulder too far. It violently shook before giving way under him. And he went down screaming and crying as the golden dragon extended massive wings, brewed a swirl of wind beneath them, and launched forward.   
Dark gold clashed against the dappled black fury that intercepted it from its bullet launch from beneath the trees. The sleek figure was impossible to discern from the snarling, rolling mess of teeth, fur and scales, screeches and roars, and anger. The dragon flapped wildly as the attacking thing savagely snapped at his vulnerable eyes, releasing a roar of pain to the sky.   
Again, it whipped at the creature with its tail, coming down with the crack of a bullwhip. In a blur, he saw the gold furred animal abandon its fierce attack and desperately try to fall back from battle. But it was futile.   
Giving a cruel smile to flash on fangs, the second animal to hunt the Starwind and Hawking duo, it arched huge wings against the sun, roared, then struck. With speed infinite, it gave a airbourne body slam to the gold creature, lurched slightly back to size up the nearly broken thing, and lunged with spiked arms slashing down. The dragon snarled in victory, as the body of the cat like animal crashed. The defeated thing yowled angrily, letting the trees break its fall, then staggered drunkenly up.   
The sleek cheetah body of the creature seemed to be a collection of liquid speed. It was a thin and quick cat with the familiar black spots and long black, furred ears that were flat in anger. It turned its head toward Jim, and the amber eyes beneath scrunched whiskers were eeriely famliar. Lashing a tail, it spoke suddenly. "Jim! Get Gene before the dragon gets him!"   
"Savannah?" The blonde blinked, dumbstruck.   
She replied him with a toothy grin, like a chessercat. The cheetah Ctarl-Ctarl suddenly felt the ungodly force of the dragon repelling her away, and instantly, she dug in with long, scythed claws, hesitated on a breath, then whirred back on her heels. Her foe came crashing, unable to recover fast enough from his dive, into the sharp snap of the branches at his eyes. Savannah flashed insolence through her sultry, almost metallic amber eyes, then sprinted around the felled monster. The wind couldn't even compete with her as she came across the armored back, sliding backwards, with her long claws scarring the armor as they drew across.   
The Ctarl-Ctarl leaped again, doging an angry lash as the dragon snorted the ivy and leaves from its dark, twisted face. It raised itself on its forearms, gave another flick of its pillar-strength tail before it sprung easily into the sky again. With lavender eyes trained coldly on the Ctarl-Ctarl, it roared with jagged fangs like ornaments on its spiked muzzle. It smiled secretly to itself.   
_That's it kitty, forget all about your friends... They'll be taken care of._   
Savannah, raising a gold aura to shield future attacks, tensed for battle. 

Jim lifted his unusally heavy body while his hand still cradled his injured shoulder in pain, while blood leaked relentlessly from it, sifting through his fingers. His eyes burned with tears of pain, while he gave an aching glance up. Again, the two gold animals gathered their outcasted power and gave a minagery of furious roars, screeches, yowls and threatening growls. The swirling anger seemed to grow and grow in the darkening sky until pain seemed to bleed into Jim's ears. He staggered back, trying again to spot his aniki.   
"Aniki!" he cried, grip weakening around the wound. In his throat, the burning vice of panic seemed to wait for the second he broke with fear. Tears of insane panic blurred his vision, seeing no sign of his brother and mentor. No sign of his aniki. Jim staggered aimlessly across the flat land stretching out before him, with no city on the horizon. He began to lose track of all senses rashional.   
__ Nothing!   
__ Nothing!   
__ Nothing at all!   
In a dioriented flurry of emotions, the eleven year old only saw a blurred world. Across the plain, it was empty of life. Jim couldn't understand. There wasn't a Gene Starwind there when he should be. Every logical nerve screamed at the defiance he'd been roughly handed. The boy wandered uncontrollable as the roar of battle faded slowly into the background.   
He kept walking, and would, until he found Gene. 


	5. The Outlaw

The Dragon's Cosmic Breath - Chapter 5 The Dragon's Cosmic Breath   
by Chustang   
  


> Chapter 5   
"The Outlaw" 

Shinar is the prison of the Dragon's Cosmic Breath, or as it's popularly referred to, the Galactic Leyline. With a mind of its own, this stardust magic has the ability to see power within souls. All living things have a magic in them, but only few have potential to be dangerous. The Leyline is very protective of its power, and aims to destroy whoever dares to use it, but is helpless if they survive and are able to access its power. Shinar has captured all of the known dragons, the ones who would destroy the whole Leyline, and thousands of Ctarl-Ctarl, wild animals, and humans, peasants and emperors alike. They have no way to use the endless silver and dragonite.   
They go in, but never come back out.   


With her darkly dappled fur slicked down with sweat while scratched up and scorched, Savannah stood for a few minutes over her defeated enemy. She blinked her amber eyes, recovering from her shell shock, and, panting, stepped off the dragon's sharp back. It had been a close battle, with the wide, stealthy hits of the dragon slowly becoming more close range, until she had gotten close enough to grab him by his nose, the only vulnerable spot. After that, it had been a simple matter of holding on tight enough to block the air passage.   
Whipping her tail lazily, the cheetah Ctarl-Ctarl glanced around, slowly trotting to ease her strained muscles. With her coat glistening in the intense sun, Savannah felt a strange silence. Something was wrong. Once her eyes cast across the treetop-plain, it struck her like a truck. Fear sparked in her curious and energetic amber eyes, twisting up her face and making her begin to pant harder.   
"Jim?! Gene?!" she cried desperately, her dry and raspy voice cracking. No answer was reflected back to her, only the indifferent glare of the sun was noticeable across the emerald green world.   
Savannah sprinted off in the direction Gene had been knocked off his feet, with her thin and sleek frame shuddering from shell shock. Her breath came in short rasps, padding softly across the leaves that swayed with the wind. Where the hell could they be? _Oh, god, please not..._ Her beautiful amber eyes now wide with shock were guided by the furrow he'd created on impact, and Savannah suddenly paused over a hole in the canopy. _He must have fallen through here._ It was wide enough have fit Gene and/or Jim, and the darkness of the gap had snapped branches and even a sickeningly green and thorny vine crawling out into the sun. _Or pulled down..._   
"Ugh... Lucifer ivy," she groaned to herself, staring at the fat, hideous plant that moved like a green bug in the sunlight. It paused, as if eyeing her up with no eyes at all, then slithered ominously forward. Savannah held her lips back in disgust, at the stench the thing emitted. It suddenly rattled at her and snapped forward with the intensity of a bullwhip, landing in a flurry of leaves where her paws had rested only moments ago. Jumping up as it swept under her feet, the Ctarl-Ctarl landed on top of the fat, leathery ivy and resentfully bit into its flesh.   
The plant hissed in pain, as it lost half of itself to her teeth, and recoiled, wincing, into the darkness of the Eternal Forest. She twisted up her face and spit out the leathery skin, before her body shuddered with its horrendous taste. "Nasty little things," she muttered to herself. "Those things'll sting you to death if they get the chance." A pause. "Gene? Jim? Are you down there? Hey, I'm coming down!" With that, Savannah unsheathed her claws to slice the Lucifer ivy, glanced down, and leaped head first into the hole.   
It could have been best described as a green hellhole, as she leapt face first into a thriving nest of ivy. The cheetah Ctarl screeched in pain as she collapsed onto a writhing pile of thorny plants, rolling over onto her feet to grip the green mass. Thorns clung to her fur, but luckily, her stiff hairs and tough skin nullified the pain. It was less she could say for any soft-skinned human. Yowling as more, living ivy latched themselves to her and tried to drag her in, she gasped in fear, seeing a gloved hand poking limply out of the mass. "Gene?" she cried out over the hiss of the Lucifer ivy.   
No answer. _Damn. Must be out cold._   
A surge of ivy came up beneath her, a living wave of thorns and the Ctarl-Ctarl stumbled on the mass. Savannah clawed her way back up, wincing as thorns stuck between her toes and managed to regain her feet. Another surge of energy through the vines knocked her back off, and suddenly began to enclose the limp, bloodied hand, pulling him further into the green fury. Snarling and baring white fangs under narrowed amber eyes, she felt a whirl of anger bubble up inside her. In a rage, she slashed off the ivy that had managed to wrap around her.   
The Ctarl-Ctarl agilely sprung up, as a large vine whipped at her with the speed of a bull whip, stinging at her heels. Then, finding traction on the mass, sprinted across the ivy at a speed amazing for the thorns that had found way into the vulnerable pads of her paws. Wincing in pain, she tripped and was sent rolling down into the lashing Lucifer ivy. But she didn't waste anytime hesitating or tending to her pain. If it was this difficult for an immortal Ctarl-Ctarl, she barely imagine what hell a human would be in. Savannah lifted her head up, feeling blood dripping along the curve of her jaw and trickling between her whiskers, and spotted the fingers of the hand slowly been consumed into the ivy. She shut her eyes, forcing her body to move while wrapped in ivy, and leaped forward at it.   
With the glaring sun dappling across the nest of Lucifer ivy, a painful glaze over her eyes, and with little to hold onto, she should have missed the hand by a mile and been swallowed up by the Lucifer ivy, as had hundreds before. But, for the sake of the story, we'll keep it going and say she did.   
After that, it became a pain smeared whirl of bodies, vines, and glaring sunlight. Savannah felt the vines loosen around her, her grip on the hand coming free, and the sensation of tumbling off a bird's nest into nothing. Still with her eyes shut, she could feel leaves and branches whip at her as she tumbled through them, and was jolted around until, finally, she felt the reassuring earth as she hit. The Ctarl-Ctarl, feeling the blood stopping, slowly allowed her battered body to rest and her mind to settle back into place. With a sigh, her thin frame settled against the ground, and Savannah gently opened her amber eyes.   
"Gene!" Savannah staggered up, blinking as she saw the outlaw, alive but dazed and scratched up. The Ctarl-Ctarl forced her aching body to move, and trotted over to where he sat against a tree.   
"Hey, Savannah," he replied drowsily, rolling his head to clear it of the haze. It was like someone had tried to put him in the blender. The gold cloak he had proudly worn only an hour ago was nothing more than tattered strings of thread. Gene's eyes were black-ringed and bloodshot, and she recoiled in shock. He'd fared the Lucifer nest well enough. His clothes were tattered, he was bleeding, and worse yet, it would hurt like hell pulling those thorns out. Savannah glanced around the Eternal forest, looking for anymore possible danger, then sat beside Gene, looking him over with concern.   
She turned her eyes to his, and leaned closer, to see more scars adorning his arms. "You sure you'll be okay?" she asked Gene, nudging his head as he hung it limply, nearly blacking out. "Hey, come on."   
Suddenly, he blinked his glazed-over, dark blue eyes to look up to her. His face twisted up, taking in the swirled world around him. The outlaw seemed to forget what had happened, and he just ignored the pain as he leaned against the tree trunk, staggering up, and looked around again. "Where's Jim?" he asked, turning his gaze to her. And, slightly unnerved by the multiple thorns that scarred his skin and even caused a slight green swell, she was frightened by his appearance. Even more of the Lucifer poison.   
The golden furred Ctarl-Ctarl frowned, biting at her lip.   
His steely blue eyes flickered confusedly to her and were lanced with pained lights, yet he still made no move to remove the poisoning, thick thorns that leaked blood and tinted his tanned skin a ill-looking green. Gene pursed his lips in apprehension, like a young child who had lost sight of his friends, strangely vulnerable looking. Glancing out from tangled flame red bangs, it was clear he was disturbed. And although he choked slightly on the strain of talking, the outlaw asked, "....You do know where Jim went... right?"   
Savannah gave the kindest amber eyes she could bear without bursting into her own tears. The sleek but drained cheetah paused, leaning forward as she laid her ears sympathetically back along her dappled neck. "Now listen Gene, don't do anything stupid alright? Jim's lost somewhere out on the canopy, but first we gotta get those thorns out before you get an allergic reaction, alright? You'll be sick for a week, if you're that lucky, so just... Gene! No!"   
The partially sliced shoulder armor clattered nosily at her feet as the bloody outlaw just wiped the sticky crimson stuff from his face, forced himself to stand, then blinked his steely blue eyes once before they were overwhelmed with a droning darkness, as almost in a trance. Before Savannah could react, he was already climbing the nearest tree and up in to the glaring canopy.   
"Ah Gene you bastard, get back here!" she cussed to herself, displeased with the apparent disappointment of his stubborn attitude. Yet, there was nothing she could do. He was an outlaw, and he and Jim were an undeniable duo. And losing that prodigy kid, his only family left, would drive him probably to the edge of insanity. Savannah braced her straining body, and sprinted after, leaving a wake of leaves to settle in silence. 

Dirt smeared across the young, round face, entangling in the locks of hair that lapped around the thin neck in the wind. The child's lips were parted slightly, composure serene although the excruciating damage that echoed through the entirety of his arm, which was pierced straight through. Even though, the warmth in his thin frame was welcoming enough, and the creature with the dark smudged face was tempted to lay down and sleep beside him, instead of consuming him. The mangy thing hadn't had a meal or safe place to rest in at least a few days, quickly approaching a week... especially since its mother had been killed.   
The creature paused above the face in its study, gently brushing its paw across the forehead in curiosity, before gently sniffing at him. It's nose brushed lightly against the boy's temple, wet and chilled to the touch, before he sensed it.   
The boy was still very much alive.   
In the darkness, the creature glanced around the dusky sky as night began to tighten its grasp on the prison world. Lifting its neck to the glittering civilization on the near horizon and letting the the long horns flexing along its neck glitter slightly with ice, it evaluated the time it would take to get to the city before total darkness fell. After night, humans would be easy prey for any Athena hawks that might be patrolling for their meal. If it moved now, it could get in the gates before dark at least.   
Sniffing its slender nose a final time along the bone-prounounced frame, the slender and small creature gently opened its mouth to close gently around the boy's chest. As it staggered back up, it could feel the human's chest rise and fall in the confines of his jaws, filled with stubby baby teeth. A soft light came to its blood red eyes, and the dark greenish wolf crouched down in the slightly forested plains surrounding Shinar. The city glitter off in the horizon, and the creature glanced nervously back at the tunnel he'd come out of. The only way out of the forest was to go underground, and it wasn't sure if the hole would still be there if it dropped the human child off. But it swallowed its nervous worry, which fluttered in its empty stomach like butterflies, then began to trot smoothly toward Shinar. The body jolted slightly around in his jaws, rubbing uncomfortably against the stubby, mostly harmless teeth.   
Jim felt his mind slur into a swirl of confusion, pain, and as he lifted his head in a semi-conscious state, a stab of pain reminded him of his injured shoulder and he collapsed into the warmness of the animal's mouth. As the limp boy just lay there, he mouthed a few words before falling asleep once again. 

"Savannah, you son of a-Ahhhh! Shit, that hurt!" he snapped in a weak, enraged slur of pain. By now, the cheetah Ctarl-Ctarl, in her human form, had learned to ignore the ill-tempered snaps Gene gave and continue with the necessary work.   
Only a few seconds after he had started to climb away, she had easily tackled the weakened Gene to the ground and constrained him enough to keep him from chasing blindly after Jim. But it had evolved lots of missed gunshots, cusses, and a few claw marks before she could tie him to a tree with some harmless vines she'd found. And now, she had the outlaw tied so that he wouldn't move while she pulled the multiple, 1/2 inch-thick thorns from his scarred skin. He was sitting against the tree, with thick vines circling him and the massive oak.   
Gene narrowed his pained steel blue eyes dangerously at her, gritting his teeth until there was a sharp pain in his tongue. There were many thorns dotting along his face, and even a few lodged near his temples. The expression on his face expressed his anger, and it was clear if he had been displeased with her before, he was just angry now. With his disheveled red hair falling around his shadowed face, it looked like he was going to bite her if she tried to pull another thorn out. A thin line of red traced along his face, then dripped from his chin to trace crimson down his shoulders and chest.   
"Don't give me that look, Gene!" Savannah said, with apologetic amber eyes. Tentatively, she glanced down, feeling his fiery blue eyes burn at her neck and seemingly straight through her skull. The cat girl stared down at the few thorns she'd pulled out, and sighed sharply to herself. There were only three. There were three hundred more to pull. And she couldn't trust him to do it, he'd just run after Jim till he collapsed. She turned fierce amber eyes to him. "You know this has to be done. You can't save Jim if you're sick as a dog. So just grit your teeth and take it like a man, okay?"   
With spikes of pained light through his eyes, he just snarled in frustration back at her, not bothering to look at her. His gaze, fiery but still slurred with fatigue, was toward the darkening dapple rays of light through the canopy. It was clear to see the greenish tint from the remaining thorns spreading across his tanned skin, a sign that Savannah was right this time. The redheaded outlaw tried not to show it though. "Easy for you... you're not Jim's aniki," he muttered under his breath.   
Gene flashed a steely blue eye at her, narrowed through his candy apple red hair, then scoffed at her, shifting his gaze angrily up and down her slim, cheetah-like body. Gaze framed by the small blood stream from the first removed thorn, he said darkly under his breath, "If you even cared about Jim, you'd let me go."   
Tears welled up in her amber eyes, beneath fiercely narrowed brows and Savannah slightly growled at him, tightening her fist around the thorns. Her canine teeth poked out of her mouth, over her tightened lip. "Don't you say that!" she said defensively. "I do care about Jimmy, probably more than I do you. So be grateful that I'm helping, Gene Starwind! You'd black out for a week if I wasn't here to help you. Hell, you would have been a Lucifer ivy appetizer if I hadn't saved you! Now-" she said, her shrill voice softening to a gentler purr, "hold still. This is going to hurt." With apologetic amber eyes, she sighed and lifted up to remove another thorn.   
Gene winced, as he felt her long-nailed fingers tighten around the thorn lodged between his eye and the bridge of his nose. The redheaded outlaw was only able to struggle away a few inches to the side, causing Savannah to lose her grip just as she was going to tear it out. Growling to herself, the golden-haired cat girl leaned further forward, pressing her face closer to the scarred redhead. Biting her lip, she was just about climbing on Gene's chest as she reached to grab it. Suddenly, as she sensed his muscles tensing to dodge her again, the Ctarl-Ctarl took his chin firmly in her hands and held it forcefully there.   
Suddenly, gold met steel blue and she could feel his forced, nervous breath causing his chest to rise and fall heavily underneath her. Their faces were only inches apart, with Savannah's arching gold hair mingling with Gene's red as it fell around her neck and over his shoulder. She sat there, in that awkward position, staring straight into the eyes of the outlaw.   
She was laying with her upperbody resting fully on his chest, her legs across his knees and her hips pooled in his lap. Both blinked at each other, feeling a surge of embarassement flush their faces. Yet, with his head still cradled in Savannah's hands, he did not feel her attempting to get off or remove thorns. Gene swallowed dryly, feeling mixed emotions clash vibrantly in his mind, then burst into what seemed like fire in his chest and throat. Suddenly, he no longer could see, but had his blue eyes closed instinctively. Yet that didn't dull the shock.   
Savannah lowered her head to his, then, brushing lips, locked him into a full kiss on the lips.   
To Gene, it was like eating fire. He felt his mouth erupt, as she didn't stop at the small play. Closing then snapping his eyes open in shock, he nearly choked, taking an odd breath as the relentless Ctarl-Ctarl forced his head back against the tree trunk. The outlaw closed his eyes, unable to break free of Savannah, then resisted a shudder of longing. He just gave into the burning in his mouth for a moment, forgetting about Jim... and Melfina.   
_Mel! Oh, damn!_   
Luckily, Savannah paused long enough to breathe, and he wrenched his head from her. Instantly, as the kiss broke, the golden blonde Ctarl-Ctarl scampered back away, flushed with embarassment. Gene lay twisted crookedly in his bonds as he sucked in hard, suprised breaths, face concealed by his red hair as it fell around his eyes. After a tense moment, he twisted back up to lock eyes with her, narrowed confusedly at her. "What... the hell.... was... that for?" he asked between gasps.   
Savannah bit her lip frantically. "Um... I just was curious, that's all."   
He strained his blue eyes as he took a confused look. His entire throat was burning, not only from surprise, but from the breaths he'd forced through his previously unused lungs. Now he had to remember to breathe, and it wasn't helping him too much. "Curious? Savannah, what were you thinking? Sick..." he said back with a harsh voice. _Maybe women will be the death of me..._ Gene glanced around, vision blurring again. "Now let me go, would ya?" He squinted at the sky between the emerald canopy, seeing it darken as the sun sunk slowly. "Jim..."   
Gene's eyes darkly narrowed, and he turned back to her, fiercly glaring at the golden haired Ctarl-Ctarl. The words were already formed on his lips that he wasn't going to take this anymore. But what the outlaw didn't expect was for Savannah to make a move.   
His eyes went wide. _Shit._   
With her freckled face twisted up defiantly, the thin girl stood over him with her tensed arms up at the ready to slash down, the discarded shoulder armor from before clutched in her hands. Savannah gave a shrill Ctarl-Ctarl snarl, eyes showing no mercy, then bought it smashing across his face.   
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
